Late Summer Favorites

Happy (?) last day of summer!  I thought I'd celebrate (???) the day with a favorites post.  And, because I didn't write a July favorites post, and I'm slightly late with August favorites, I figured I'd just call this a "late summer favorites" list.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer -- This tinted moisturizer has a wonderfully light texture, has a light citrus scent, and leaves the skin slightly dewy.  It has decent coverage for a tinted moisturizer, and it protects the skin with an SPF of 30.  I have been wearing the shade Alaska because I've been using a self-tanner, but I think I'm going to need to switch to Finland for the winter.

MDSolarSciences Mineral Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UVA-UVB Sunscreen -- This stuff has an interesting texture.  It's very silicone-laden, and kind of thick.  I love that it has a really high SPF, but my favorite thing about it is how well it works as a makeup primer.  I need to try to write a full review of this sunscreen.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara -- Whenever I use this mascara, I remember how good it is. However, I did manage to poke my eye rather seriously with the wand recently, and it really hurt.

Prada Candy -- Wearing this perfume puts me in a good mood.  It's kind of a sweet, but spicy
floral-y scent that has completely different top and bottom notes, so it smells totally different after a few hours of wear.  You really need to try it for yourself.

Sleek Garden of Eden Eyeshadow Palette -- I have really been enjoying this palette.  My favorite shades in this palette are Eve's Kiss, Evergreen, and Fauna.  Tons of possibilities with this.

from left: Eve's Kiss, Evergreen, Fauna

I sometimes find writing favorite things lists kind of tough, because the staple items (like foundation/tinted moisturizer, mascara, powder, etc.) remain pretty much the same each month, and I use so many different other things (like eyeshadows, palettes, blushes, lip colors -- I usually mix those up everyday) that it is hard to choose favorites.  Does anyone else have this problem?  How do you choose what favorites to write about?

Thanks for checking out my recent favorites!

Face of the Day With Some Sephora Favorites

I created a FotD with some drugstore faves here, and I thought it would be fun to do a post with some of my Sephora favorites.

Complexion:
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer -- This has a wonderfully light texture, and it has a seamless, skin-like finish.  It leaves the skin very slightly dewy.  It has kind of a citrus-y scent, which I don't mind, although it probably would be better for the skin if it didn't have fragrance.
Sephora 8 HR Mattifying Compact Foundation -- I like how I can get a little extra coverage from this powder foundation, or just use it sparingly to set my base.  It doesn't ever look cakey, and it controls shine fairly well.  I also quite like the compact.  Clearly I need a new one of these.

Pardon the dirty sponge.  Yeesh.

Cheeks:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- Gorgeous in the pan and on the skin.  It is just light-reflecting enough to give a subtle glow to the skin.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder in Milk Chocolate -- This is the lighter chocolate bronzer Too Faced offers.  It is just the right color to warm up my skin, and the lack of shimmer makes it usable as a contour color, as well.  And, yes, it does smell like chocolate, and I do spend a few seconds smelling it before I apply it.

from left: Hourglass blush in Luminous Flush, Too Faced bronzer in Milk Chocolate

Eyes:
Kat Von D Chrysalis palette -- I just love this palette.  It has neutrals, purples, metallics... I love all the shades.  The shadow formula is soft and silky, and, with the exception of Entombed (metallic blue) which applies slightly more sheerly than I prefer, all have good pigmentation and blendability.  

I used: Mezzanine (sparkling purple) all over the lid and lower lashline
            Hybrid Moments (matte plum) in the crease and outer v
            Lifelike (matte cream) under the brow and in the inner corner

Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black -- So creamy and very black, this liner is easy to apply and wears well on my eyes.  I use it  most often on my waterlines, and it never irritates my eyes.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black -- I can see why this is a best seller.  It is inky black, and has a calligraphy-style brush that makes creating a thin or thick line easy.  It sets quickly, so you don't have to sit with your eyes closed for 10 minutes waiting for it to dry.
Benefit They're Real Mascara -- Yes, it's a little tough to remove, but, man, does it work well.  I can tell I need a new tube because it usually does much more for my lashes than it did today.

from left: Mezzanine, Hybrid Moments, Lifelike, Too Faced liner in Perfect Black, Stila liquid liner in Intense Black

Lips: Dior Addict Gloss in Bed of Roses 576 -- This gloss is gorgeous!  It is extremely smooth, non-sticky, and shiny.  It's described by Sephora as a "petal pink shimmer".  It's a little darker than what I think of as a "petal" pink.  It doesn't have any scent or flavor.  Sooooo shiny!

Do you have any favorites you've discovered at Sephora?

Face of the Day With Some Drugstore Favorites

There is so much good makeup to find at the drugstore these days.  I decided to use nothing but some of my drugstore favorites today.  The hardest part was choosing which favorites to use!

Complexion: 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation -- I like the fluid texture and light-medium coverage of this foundation.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer -- This has a lovely light texture, but covers well, and it doesn't settle into my wrinkles.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder -- Non-powdery and non-cakey.  Important qualities for a face powder.

Cheeks:

Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar -- I use this as a bronzer.  It gives a lovely glow to the skin.
Milani Baked Blush in Corallina -- A beautiful coral blush.  Of note: this is sparkly.  But I like sparkly stuff.  It's also really pretty in the pan.

from left: Milani Amber Nectar Illuminating Powder, Milani Corallina Baked Blush

Eyes:

Wet 'n' Wild Petal Pusher Palette -- I adore purple eyeshadows, so this is right up my alley.  The texture of the shadows is quite soft.  I used the "definer" shade from the left side as the only color on my lids for this look.  It's more sheer than the other shadows in the palette, but it's still pretty.  It's a sparkly bluish purple.

Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum -- I like the calligraphy-style brush on this liquid liner.

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara -- My favorite mascara at the moment.  It gives lots of length to my lashes.

Wet 'n' Wild Petal Pusher palette "definer" shade

sparkly!

Lips:

NYX Lipliner Pencil in Nectar -- Nectar is a very pretty, slightly metallic coral.  It's fairly creamy for a lip pencil.

Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick in Fresh Papaya -- This chubby lip crayon is quite moisturizing and almost balm-like, smells nice and fruity, and gives a good dose of color to the lips. Fresh Papaya is a shimmery peachy coral.  One of my favorite lipsticks ever!

from left: Neutrogena Fresh Papaya MoistureSmooth Color Stick, NYX Nectar Lip Pencil

What are some of your drugstore favorites?

June 2014 Favorites

Wow.  We're halfway through 2014.  Okay then.  Time for some recent favorites!

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color High Gloss Nail Lacquer in Ahoy! -- This polish is from the Summer Escape 2014 summer color collection.  It is a pinky coraly dark peach that screams "summer" to me.  It's incredibly long wearing, and the brush makes it quick and easy to apply.

MAC Refined Golden Bronzing Powder -- The packaging is from the Alluring Aquatics collection, but the bronzer is a permanent color.  It is a warm tan that looks pretty glittery in the pan, but not sparkly on the skin.  It warms up my skin beautifully.  I love pulling the compact out of my makeup bag (well, out of the box the that I keep in my makeup bag -- I like to pretend it's brand new every time I use it).  I have to gaze at it for a bit before I use it.

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara (review)-- This mascara is still making my favorites list.  I just noticed my new tube says "Lash Out Butterfly" on it.  But the picture of the tube on the L'Oreal website says "Voluminous Butterfly."  Way to confuse the consumer, L'Oreal.

Revlon Colorburst Balm Crayons -- I think I'm a bit late to the party for these.  I thought they would be drying and not balm-y for some reason, but after trying Rendezvous (one of the balm stains -- it's a slightly shimmery orange) this spring, I decided I needed to try more of the different formulas offered in the line.  I now own Lacquer Balms in Demure and Coquette, Balm Stains in Honey and Rendezvous, and a Matte Balm in Elusive.  I'm really surprised how much I like Elusive.  I'm not a matte lip person, but I'm really enjoying this one!  They aren't as pepperminty as I thought they would be, either, thankfully.  If you haven't tried them, you probably should.  I'm just saying.

from left: Demure, Coquette, Honey, Rendezvous, Elusive

Detroit Tigers Baseball -- I am watching every game I can!  My favorite announcers are Rod Allen and Mario Impemba from Fox Sports Detroit.  A couple of nights ago, Rajai Davis hit a walk-off grand slam.  That is why you watch the game until the last pitch.

Whoo hoo summer!

P.S.  I didn't include any eye products because I've been using so many different ones, that I couldn't decide on any favorites!

May 2014 Favorites

Time for some favorites for the past month!  Let's get to it.

Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning (review) -- I've been using this every other night to give me some color on my face and décolleté.  It's light and milky, and feels kind of refreshing.  A great, gradual self tanner.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation -- True story: I needed a new foundation to match my newly self-tanned face, and I didn't want to spend too much money on one because I wasn't sure how often I was going to self-tan, or even if I was going to like doing it.  So, I went to CVS and looked for the cheapest (or close to it) foundation and discovered this one for $6, plus I had some Extra Bucks, so it cost me $2.  I hadn't done any "homework" on it, so I was buying it with only having read the ingredients on the back (I liked the fact it has titanium dioxide for sunscreen).  I took it home and immediately slapped it on my face, and discovered it was a light, liquidy, comfortable foundation with light to medium coverage.  It was a win!  I've been wearing it almost everyday, and think it is rather great.  The packaging, however, leaves something to be desired.  It is a glass bottle with no pump that is narrower at the bottom than the top, so it is quite tippy.  Chance of me spilling it: near 100%.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder -- I have already repurchased this powder.  It gives a nice finish to the skin, doesn't look powdery, and it isn't drying.  Inelegant packaging, but whatever.  It works.

Too Faced à la mode Eyes -- This palette has nothing but shimmery shadows, so I have to supplement it with matte shadow from somewhere else, but I don't mind.  The colors are so springy/summery and just feel right for this time of year.  My favorite colors: Jardin (shimmery peach), Cannes (shimmery and sparkly copper), and Soleil (shimmery plummy brown).  De La Mer (shimmery navy blue) makes a great liner color.

MAC Lipglass in Water Deities from the Alluring Aquatics Collection -- This is a very shimmery "light bronzy pink" (according to MAC). It has the signature Lipglass vanilla scent and tacky texture that makes it long-wearing.  Gorgeous color.  Pretty packaging doesn't hurt either.

This is only a small part of the garden!

My Garden! -- The garden is looking lush and full now that all the plants are up.  Plenty of spring flowers have been blooming over the past month, and it's really fun to see what blooms when, what starts growing when, and where I need to add more plants!

I'd love to hear about some of your recent favorites!